I Wish
by Pho1297
Summary: And now, I can only wish. I wish the games never existed. I wish Prim's name had never been picked. I wish I had spoken sooner. I wish it'd been my name instead of Mellark's.I wish it was me." What runs through Gale's mind durning the Hunger Games Oneshot


**So, this is my first Hunger Games fic and I really hope I did it justice.**

**This is a short oneshot of what runs through Gale's mind durning the Reaping and throughout The Hunger Games.**

***Disclaimer* I do not own The Hunger Games, only this keyboard that I sit at, typing away.**

**Love Always,**

**~Pho:)**

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><p><strong>I Wish<strong>

As if it couldn't get any worse. Who would have thought it could have gotten any _freaking_ worse. First, tiny little Primrose Everdeen's name is picked out of the female reaping ball. Twelve-year-old Prim. Her name – entered only once – out of thousands is picked. The games would tear her apart.

Unfortunately, I'm not the only one who realizes this.

Her older sister, Katniss Everdeen, my Catnip, rushes to volunteer. I want to hurl as I hear her piercing scream, "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" as she pushes past the Peacekeepers and runs to the stage where the metor, Haymitch Abernathy, the mayor of District 12, Mayor Undersee, and the representative of the high and freaking mighty Capitol, District 12 escort, Effie Trinket. Oh, how I'd like to wipe that painted-on smile off her face for actually getting a volunteer from a more than unenthused District 12. With a sullen expression, I pry Prim off of her sister and mutter to her, "up you go, Catnip." But given the opportunity, I'd be doing the same thing as Prim. Oh, but the horror is far from over.

My names been placed in that stupid bowl forty-two times, and not only am I not picked after practically begging to be at this point, baker's son, Peeta Mellark is picked. The one I quite often find stealing glances, more like full on stares, at Katniss, _my _Katniss. The upside to this is, it may not be bad watching him being slaughtered like an animal in the Capitol Circus.

When the time comes for me to say maybe my final goodbye to Katniss, we talk about everything that doesn't matter. I'd had my whole speech planned out, practicing it from the moment the Peacekeepers pulled her from the stage. But instead, I had a severe case of word diarrhea and all I could talk about were what weapons to use how much I admire her as a huntress. The only good thing that came out of my mouth was that I'd make sure along with the other seven people in my family, I'd make sure that Prim and her mother didn't starve. Just as I was about to admit to her that I love her, I'm pulled out by the Peacekeepers. Way to go, Gale.

I cried. I cried and I cried and I cried. I made my way back into the woods, trying miserably to set up my snares but failing. I eventually resulted in slashing trees and throwing around my own weaponry. Nothing was real anymore. Not a damn thing, without Katniss.

I waited in horror with Prim and her mother as they began to parade the tributes around as if they were cattle to be auctioned. Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on come out, the Careers proud, others nervous as hell; that much I can tell. And if it weren't for District 12 _always_ being the last to be paraded out, I would have never guessed it was their turn. There, a girl who resembled Katniss, stood in a sleek dress with a cape and headdress, which literally, were on _fire_. It finally hit me, that actually _was_ Katniss, the way her sister and mother began to break down and weep at her beauty. But what sent me out of the house in an angry fit, was seeing her hand intertwined with that of Peeta Mellark, the baker's son.

And things were only going to get worse before they got better…

The next night I stood in my home, fear of scaring Prim with another quick fit, and watch memorized as I heard Katniss spoke, stunning in her dress of jewels, but nervous. I knew Katniss, she was _extremely_ nervous. She'd been the only topic to talk about throughout District 12, and probably all of Panem. _The Girl on Fire_, or, _the Girl who got the highest score of an eleven! An eleven!_ And as I traded at the Hob I'd think, _damn right, she did! _Because there was no one in the whole competition better than Katniss. And next, Peeta began to speak. Out of my eighteen years, I've still never caught the name of the interviewer, but he goes on asking him about his love life at home, how all the girls _must_ be all over him. _As if…_Maybe if Mellark wasn't such a bread obsessive freak he could get a girlfriend. He starts talking about a girl back here, and I swear, I heard every girl in the square squeal because the Big Bad Tribute could be into one of them. But then I see the uneasiness on his face and my mind starts to put the puzzle pieces together. When the interviewer ask why winning the games won't help him, I almost die. And when he says, "Because…because she came here with me," I thought I did.

What makes this all worse, is having to see Katniss blush like one of the silly girls here and act as if…the feelings are actually mutual. I don't think it can ever be as bad as that.

How wrong I am…

Watching Katniss run and dodge danger at every turn gave me the worst anxiety I've ever had. When the Gamemakers started that forest fire while she was still asleep in the tree, I thought she was a goner for sure. Between the Tracker Jackers and Mellark seeming to _always_ be there had me on edge, but I was grateful to know he'd be dead soon with the cut that Career gave him. And when that little girl Katniss had allied with died, I cried as she sang to her. That would be the first and last time I'd hear her sing. And just like her father, all of the birds stopped to listen. She seemed so broken, I thought she was just going to give up and let one of the other Tributes have her. It hurt me to see how much faith she restored to here she could join up with Peeta and they could both win.

I watched in agony as she nursed him back to health, day by day. And when she kissed him, I could hear my heart break and turn cold. I watched as she risked her life, far too many times for Mellark, winning them the games, and break down in the hovercraft for again, someone who did _not _deserve it.

These past few weeks have been worse than the most unbearable part of hell, and I know now it will _only _get worse. I first feared I would lose her to the games, but that I could deal with. But now, I realize I lost her to Peeta Mellark, and it's as if she's taken my knife stabbed, and twisted where my heart once was.

And now, I can only wish.

I wish the games never existed.

I wish Prim's name had never been picked.

I wish I had spoken sooner.

I wish it'd been _my _name instead of Mellark's.

I wish…I wish it was me.

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><p><strong>So, what'd ya think?<strong>

**Not my best work, but I'll get better.**

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**~Pho:)**


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